When to Follow Up on an E-mail?

Several times each week onliners e-mail me asking when would be the most appropriate “waiting period” to send a follow-up e-mail to an e-mail they sent that goes unanswered.

They fear being too pushing or demanding and are wondering why their e-mail has yet to receive a response.

Many assume they are being purposefully ignored. To this I always caution to not jump to conclusions. There are so many reasons why one would not receive a response, the least of which the person simply may not check e-mail as often as those sending to them.

• Could your e-mail have been spammy and therefore blocked?
• Did you typo the address?
• Is the person out-of-town; possibly on vacation?

There are those who are lax and not responsive to e-mails or your attempt at a kind follow-up. However, my experience shows these folks are just busy doing other things or they did reply and their e-mail inadvertently landed in your trash. So always check your Junk or Trash folder to see if the response you seek is there.

I generally follow-up 2 days after my first e-mail. If the topic is not that important I may do so 3 days or even a week later. I let my follow time-frame show the level of importance of the content within.

If all else fails pick up the phone and give them a call to find out what’s up. Convinced that the recipient is ignoring you? Move on to those who show the courtesy of a response when you e-mail them. Those are the folks who are worth your time and energy.

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